firing on one

[elliottles1]

folks,
solve one problem and......
rd/lc hybrid engine. starts on right hand cylinder only. nothing at all from the left. swapped the orange coil wires over and the plug leads and the problem stays on the same side.
I assume that this test absolutely rules anything electrical out, I have swapped the plugs over as well.
so I am thinking to start looking at the carb, however the plug is always wet.
any ideas??
thanks
les

[AAAltered]

I had that problem with a Dyna ignition, it was the pickup.....

[Jspooner]

What else can you tell us about it...................do you have spark on that side? What ignition are you running? Is it a fresh rebuild? Is your timing correct? Do you have good compression? What carbs are you running? If RD carbs, are both slides correct? I've seen before where someone had two of the same handed slides so one was in correct and one was in backwards. 

[elliottles1]

hi again

it was a "new engine" last year, and running fine, then it started to misfire on the left side after a few miles. put it away for the winter and now dead on the left.
engine is very fresh, timing etc all correct, good compression, 28mm mikunis,  nothing changed since last year.
like I said I swapped the orange coil leads and the plugs and the ht leads, and the problem stayed on the same side, firing on the right.
so my first question is this, are we absolutely sure its not an electrical fault in these circumstances, as if it is it should have swapped sides with the changes I made?

cheers
les

[Striker1423]

check wiring and make sure it isn't shorting to ground. If not the pickup could be suspect.

[m in sc]

what ignition? id look at whatever is triggering the coils first. (points, dyna pickup, newtronic pickup, etc).  yes, you ruled out the coils and plug wires. 

[Organicjedi]

Agreed, follow the wiring back from the coils to the ignition. A lot can go wrong between the ignition and coils. I've dealt with this myself. Bad connections, bad grounds, timing incorrect, pickup issues.

[elliottles1]

hi,
sorry, should have said, points ignition, original and new.
so, if I have swapped the orange coil wires over, and the ht leads, that still does not rule out the points/condenser??
cheers
les

[m in sc]

actually, it kind of points to them as being the problem, or the wiring itself. make sure one of the flags on the connectors isn't touching the alternator housing. (pun not intended)

[elliottles1]

I will take the ignition apart tomorrow and check everything, and report back.
cheers for now
les

[teazer]

Before you pull anything off, try something simple.  Remove the left plug cap and lay it on the cylinder head or barrel.

Remove the points cover and turn the motor gently until the offending plug set of points is closed.

Turn on the ignition and flick the points open with a finger nail or screwdriver.  It should spark from the end of the plug lead to ground.

If there's no spark, the points or condensor are faulty or there's a broken lead between the coil and the points

[elliottles1]

folks,

another one solved! actually I am slightly embarrassed as it was very simple. looking at the points, they looked great as you rotate the crank, however (eyesight not being what it was) there was a tiny "whisker" between them which cleaning solved. running now perfectly.

many thanks for all of the responses, it led me in the right direction.

cheers
les

[m in sc]

that'll do it. i've actually seen a small bit of wire, probably from a wire wheel, get stuck between 2 points and light up like a filament in a light bulb before.  glad you found it.